Toy building sets



Sept. 2, 1958 B. JORGENSEN TOY BUILDING SETS Filed Jan. 2a, 1956 United States Patent f TOY BUILDING SETS Bernhard Jiirgensen, Copenhagen, Denmark Application January 26, 1956, Serial No. 561,614

1 Claim. (CI. 46-26) The present invention relates to a toy building set of the type comprising a plurality of variously shaped elements or blocks which are provided with mortises, and which are interconnected by means of a detachable tie member provided with tenons engaging the said mortises.

Blocks for constructing toy buildings, and tie members for the assembly of the blocks are already known in numerous types. Common to them all is the fact that special tie members are required for the various shaped blocks constituting a building. Another disadvantage of the known devices is the fact that a relatively large number of tie members is required for assembling more complicated building constructions, for instance in buildings provided with a number of partition walls, doors, windows, door steps, window sills, and roof constructions.

The object of the invention is to provide a toy building set comprising block members and tie members in which the aforesaid drawbacks are eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide building blocks and tie members so constructed that any building block can be assembled to any other building block in elongation thereof or at a right angle thereto by means of a tie member of the same shape and size.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a fragment of a fiat building element provided with a mortise recessed to the one end and the one side of the element.

Fig. 2 is a similar fragment of a flat building element provided with a mortise recessed to the one end of the element only,

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show the one corner of a fiat element corresponding to that shown in Fig. I, seen from one side, from above, and from one edge respectively,

Fig. 6 is a front view of a tie element,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a triangular building element, and

Fig. 8 shows in perspective a number of variously shaped building elements constituting one corner of a building structure.

The fragmental building element 1 shown in Fig. 1 has generally rectangular shape, see Fig. 8. It has fiat sides and flat edges 2 and is intended for the erection of walls. In one of the flat surfaces close to an adjacent perpendicular flat edge 3, Fig. 3 the element has a perendicular mortise 4. The material of the element is cut way between the mortise and the one flat side, forming recess 5, and between the mortise and the flat edge 2 forming a recess 6.

In Fig. 6 is shown a tie member 7 shaped as a flat H. his member has two pairs of parallel legs or tenons arranged in elongation of each other and numbered 8, 9 and 10, 11. These pairs of legs are interconnected by means of a transverse bar 12. Each leg has a length corresponding to the depth of the mortise 4, reckoned from the base of the recess 5 or 6 to the base of the mortise.

2,849,832 Patented Sept. 2, 1958 The thickness of the legs corresponds to the width of the mortise 4 and the recess 5 or 6. The transverse bar 12 has a total height corresponding to twice the depth of a recess 5 or 6, and a length between the legs twice the length of a recess 5 or 6 reckoned from the outer edge of the element to the nearest edge of the mortise. The thickness of the bar is the same as that of the legs. The width of the legs is slightly greater than the width of the recesses 5 or 6.

Thus, when a tie member 11 is inserted in a mortise 4, its one leg will enter the mortise to the base thereof, and one quarter of the transverse bar will enter the recess 5 or 6, thus leaving three quarters of the entire tie member projecting from the building element. By attaching a similar mortised and recessed building element as element 1 to each projecting quarter of the tie member and by inserting other tie members in a similar manner in the other mortises of the thus added elements, it is possible to erect a wall of any desired height and width. If all the tie members are inserted ni mortises 4 and recesses 6, the wall obtained will be flat. If, however, a tie member is inserted in a mortise 4 and recess 5, a wall projecting at a right angle from the first wall can be obtained. This is shown in Fig. 8, where element 1 projects at a right angle from element 13.

Owing to the fact that the width of the legs of the tie element 11 is greater than the thickness of the legs, and of the recesses 5 or 6, the cross section of the mortise shown in Fig. 1 will be that of a cross. The effect of this is that the leg inserted in the mortise 4 of Fig. 1 and engaging either recess 5 or 6 will be supported throughout its entire length, thereby ensuring a relatively rigid construction.

In Fig. 2 is shown a building element 14 similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but provided with a recess 15 to the element edge 2 only. This element can only be used for erecting a flat wall.

In Fig. 7 is shown another shape of the building element, which is used in e. g. the construction of a roof. The member is generally indicated by 16 and has fiat end surface 17 at a right angle to another fiat surface 18. In this latter surface the mortise 19 is formed and recessed at 20 out to the flat end surface 17. When inserting a tie member 11 in the mortise and recess, other building elements can be attached thereto in the same manner as described above, in elongationof the element as well as in continuation of surface 18. Providing the end 17a of element 16 indicated by dotted lines and opposite to end 17 is parallel to this end, a mortise 21 and recess 22 may be provided adjacent end 17a. In the building element shown in Fig. 7 the recesses 20 and 22 are interconnected by a rectilinear groove 23 which in its base is provided with a number of mortises 24 spaced a distance corresponding to the spacing of the legs of the tie member 11. Two such mortises 24 and the adjacent parts of groove 23 will engage one half of a tie member and are used to interconnect two members which are not intended to be attached by their ends to other members, see c. g. the window sill 25, Fig. 8.

It will be understood that the elements may have any shape suitable for the purpose to which they are to be put. In Fig. 8, 28 indicates a door step between which and an overlying wall part 27 a door may be inserted. 26 is a window, and 29 is an element constituting a part of the roof.

I claim:

A toy building set comprising construction blocks and tie members for joining the blocks by means of hidden mortise-and-tenon type of joint, in which each tie member comprises a flat rigid and substantially rectangular blank having two opposed end edges each cut out to the samedepth, leaving along each side edge of said blank two tenons'inalignment with each 'other,"each'tenon having the same length and width as the other tenons and in which each block has close to at least one surface thereof a mortise'having a depth equaltf) onehalf of the total lengthof the blank longitudinatlly of'the tenons, a width equal tothe thickness of the blank and between the mortise and at least one surface of the block a wall having a thickness equal to 'one half the width of the blank between twointerspaced'tenons, and recessed at its upper end to .a depth equal to "one half the length of the blank portionbetween the bases of the aforesaid cut out portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cordes Dec. 21, 1915 Corser Feb. 8, 1938 Davis f Sept. 23, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Apr. 3, 1930 Switzerland June 16, 1932 Great Britain May-22, 1946 

